Listen with all your might this Sunday!

If you go to church every Sunday morning and attend an adult Bible fellowship you will hear approximately 100 sermon/lessons every year. If you are a Christian for 10 years that means you will have listened to 1000 in that time.

But how often do we really listen as we should.  The Constructive Curmudgeon has a challenge for us:

Listen . . . with all your might; hear the living and active word. The teaching and preaching of God’s imperishable word is truly a sacred event whereby the Truth penetrates hearts and minds, consciences are quickened, sin is disclosed, salvation is offered, wisdom is imparted . . . if we listen, if we actively engage ourselves in hearing, if we participate as the Holy Spirit works in our midst.

We are all too accustomed to being entertained and passively amused. Television often hypnotizes or anaesthetizes us; it demands little response and by its very nature stimulates stagnation, not spiritual encounter. Video games, cell phones, and internet access offers an endless source of possible distraction. But when we come together as the Body of Christ we come as participants not as spectators, we come to hear and obey the Truth not to be entertained. Neither Moses nor Paul captured their audience through eloquence or style. They were not entertainers but Truth-tellers: they spoke God’s word with a power that provoked response. Our Lord, when teaching by parable, alerted his hearers: “Therefore, consider carefully how you listen” (Luke 8:18). We are to be engaged in listening, intent on hearing.

The rest is so good!  So before you head off to church for another week, read the whole article here!  It won’t hurt you and it will likely help you to listen better this Sunday!

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A loving thing to do today: Listen

In Life Together from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

“The first service one owes to others in the community involves listening to them. Just as our love for God begins with listening to God’s Word, the beginning of love for other Christians is learning to listen to them. God’s love for us is shown by the fact that God not only gives us God’s Word, but also lends us God’s ear. We do God’s work for our brothers and sisters when we learn to listen to them. So often Christians, especially preachers, think that their only service is always to have to “offer” something when they are together with other people. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking. Many people seek a sympathetic ear and do not find it among Christians, because these Christians are talking even when they should be listening…Those who cannot listen long and patiently will always be talking past others, and finally no longer will even notice it. Those who think their time is too precious to spend listening will never really have time for God and others, but only for themselves and for their own words and plans…This impatient, inattentive listening really despises the other Christian and finally is only waiting to get a chance to speak and thus to get rid of the other.”

Want to learn more about listening?  Nathan Bingham explores how you love others by listening in this post from which I found the above quote.

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Getting the most from your pastor’s preaching!

This is really good from Nancy Leigh DeMoss: How to Get the Most Out of Your Pastor’s Preaching.  The abbreviated outline:

Before the service

1. Pray for your pastor as he prepares for Sunday.

2. Take time during the week to read ahead and meditate on the text.

3. Prepare for public worship the night before.

4. Ask God to prepare your heart for the preaching of the Word.

5. Ask God to give you a sense of anticipation.

During the service

1. Participate—you need to be there.

2. Spend a few minutes before the service quietly preparing your heartfor worship.

3. Don’t be a spectator.

4. Open your Bible and follow along.

5. Listen attentively to the reading and the preaching of the Word.

6. Listen humbly to the preaching of the Word.

7. Take notes.

8. Don’t make your pastor a prisoner of unrealistic expectations.

After the service

1. Ask God to give you at least one takeaway from the message.

2. Discuss the message with others.

3. Be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer (James 1:22).

Making It Personal

• Do you highly esteem, respect, and reverence the Word of God (Neh. 8:5; Ps. 138:2)?
• Do you prepare your heart to hear the Word of God (Ps. 119:18)?
• Do you find delight in hearing the Word proclaimed?
• Do you listen attentively when the Word is being read or preached (Neh. 8:3; Ps. 85:8)?
• Do you expect God to speak to you every time you hear His Word proclaimed?
• Do you have a teachable spirit (Ps. 25:9)?
• Do you tremble at the Word of the Lord (Isa. 66:2; Ezra 9:4)?
• Do you pray for those who proclaim the Word to you, that they might be pure, anointed vessels of God (1 Thess. 5:25)?
• When the Word is preached, are you conscious that you are not listening to the words of men but to the Word of God (1 Thess. 2:13)?
• Do you have a commitment to obey anything God shows you from His Word (Matt. 7:24; James 1:22–25)?
• Do you respond in faith, that is, acting on the Word you have heard (Heb. 4:2)?
• Is your heart good soil that receives the Word and produces fruit (Luke 8:15)?
• Are you willing to let the message sit in judgment of you rather than you sitting in judgment of the message?
• Do you take the message personally (James 1:22)? Or are you more focused on how it applies to the people sitting near you?
• Do you pass on to others what you’ve learned from the Word of God (2 Tim. 2:2)?
• Do you express appreciation and gratitude for those who minister the Word of God to you (Gal. 6:6; 1 Thess. 5:12-13)?

Read the entire post with explanations here.

(HT: Unashamed Workman)

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Listening to a sermon

Christopher Ash in his book Listen Up gives these helpful pointers as you listen to the Word of God every Sunday. This helps us obey Jesus’ command, “Consider carefully how you listen.” (Luke 8:18)

1. EXPECT GOD TO SPEAK
2. ADMIT GOD KNOWS BETTER THAN YOU
3. MAKE SURE THE PREACHER SAYS WHAT THE PASSAGE SAYS
4. HEAR THE SERMON IN CHURCH
5. BE THERE WEEK BY WEEK
6. DO WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS
7. DO WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS TODAY – AND REJOICE

(HT:  Unashamed Workman)

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What kind of listener are you?

Remember the story of Eutychus in Acts 20 who fell asleep while Paul preached.  (Give the guy a bit of break–Paul preached till midnight).  While preparing to tell the children this story at her church one lady thought,

I’ve been challenged to consider the different ways we respond to God’s Word while it’s being taught. As a sneak preview, here are 5 responses:

1. Boredom
2. Anger
3. Laughter
4. Falling asleep
5. Careful listening

We’re not given much information about poor Eutychus. We don’t know the state of his heart or if he was overtired and run down. We do however, know the state of our own hearts and more seriously still, we’re told this in Hebrews:

‘For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double- edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.’ Hebrews 4v12-13

So, next time you have God’s Word open, ask yourself this question: What kind of listener am I?

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Proverbs on listening and speaking (pt. 1)

“Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.” (Proverbs 1:5-6, ESV).

” Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,” (Proverbs 1:8, ESV).

” My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;” (Proverbs 2:1-2, ESV).

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;” (Proverbs 2:6, ESV).

“So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words,” (Proverbs 2:16, ESV).

” Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight,” (Proverbs 4:1, ESV).

“Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many.” (Proverbs 4:10, ESV).

“My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.” (Proverbs 4:20, ESV).

“Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.” (Proverbs 4:24, ESV).

” My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge.” (Proverbs 5:1-2, ESV).

“For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil,” (Proverbs 5:3, ESV).

“And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth.” (Proverbs 5:7, ESV).

“I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation.”” (Proverbs 5:13-14, ESV).

“if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth,” (Proverbs 6:2, ESV).

“A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech,” (Proverbs 6:12, ESV).

“haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,” (Proverbs 6:17, ESV).

“a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” (Proverbs 6:19, ESV).

“to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.” (Proverbs 6:24, ESV).

” My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you;” (Proverbs 7:1, ESV).

“to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words.” (Proverbs 7:5, ESV).

“With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him.” (Proverbs 7:21, ESV).

“And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth.” (Proverbs 7:24, ESV).

“Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right, for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.” (Proverbs 8:6-8, ESV).

“The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13, ESV).

““And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways.” (Proverbs 8:32, ESV).

“Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” (Proverbs 10:6, ESV).

“The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.” (Proverbs 10:8, ESV).

“Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.” (Proverbs 10:10, ESV).

“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” (Proverbs 10:11, ESV).

“On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.” (Proverbs 10:13, ESV).

“The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.” (Proverbs 10:14, ESV).

“The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool. When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.” (Proverbs 10:18-21, ESV).

“The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.” (Proverbs 10:31-32, ESV).

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